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The Framers opposed choosing a President by popular vote because they felt that such a process would lead to "tumult and disorder." The idea of electing the head of state in any way was itself radical-- virtually all the countries of the world were ruled by people who inherited their position. Britain, from where most of the framers came, had a class system. There were lords or gentlemen who ruled , were educated and owned most of the land, and there were the common people who served the gentlemen.They felt that the country was too large for voters to learn about the candidates.
it provided the framework for popular sovereignty
The framers wanted a presidency that could withstand intense popular pressure. It set out to accomplish this by having the president elected via the electoral college.
The constitution calls for the President to elected by electors from the states. It allows the state legislatures to decide how to choose its electors. Probably most of the framers expected the legislatures to elect the electors rather than holding a popular election to choose them.
It allows for faithless electors, or electors who do not vote according to the wishes of their states.
They wanted the President to be elected by the people of the United States. In a compromise (Remember, the Constitution is a bundle of compromises), they Founding Fathers decided to have an "Electoral College," a group of common civilians who's sole purpose for being elected is to go and elect the President. Of course, in this day and age, with technology making a popular vote of the President much more practical, many people advocate the abolishment of the Electoral College. They argue that the popular vote should elect the President, rather than the people who elect the President.
Clinton
The electoral college elects the president, not the direct popular vote. There is a reason for this, but Gore supporters were disappointed when their man was not elected president after carrying the popular vote.
The three methods of presidential election discussed by the framers of the Constitution were the election by Congress, election by state legislatures, and election by popular vote. They ultimately settled on the Electoral College system as a compromise between these options.
At the Constitutional Convention, one of the big "rifts" was between the big and small states. Well, if it were up to popular vote, states like New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania would hold all the influence because they held all the people -- today if we didn't have the electoral college people wouldn't bother campaigning in Vermont or Wyoming or Mississippi because those states don't have too many people (no offense if you live in those states.) So the popular vote was nicked because small states wanted equal say.
270towin.com has historic electoral maps with popular votes.
Texas Governor George W.Bush ran for president against vice president Al Gore.Gore won the popular vote but lost to governor Bush